GitHub Copilot

What it does

GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer inside the editors developers already use. It suggests code as you type, explains code, writes tests and can work as an agent on tasks and pull requests on GitHub.

For teams already on GitHub, it is the safe default.

Why use it

• Works inside VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio and on GitHub.
• Suggestions as you type cut repetitive coding.
• The coding agent can take an issue and open a pull request.
• Business plans add admin controls and policies.

How it works

1. Turn on Copilot in your GitHub account settings.
2. Install the extension in your editor and sign in.
3. Accept suggestions as you type, or ask questions in the chat.
4. Assign issues to the coding agent, then review its pull request.

How hard is it to use?

Advanced Made for people at home with technical tools, or ready to learn them.

Easy to switch on, but you need to be able to judge the code it writes, which is why we rate it Advanced.

What it costs

Free tier; paid plans. A free tier with limited use, then individual, business and enterprise plans.

Prices change often, so check GitHub Copilot’s own site before you pay.

Watch out for

• Suggestions can look right and be subtly wrong. Keep tests and code review in place.
• Check your organisation’s policy on AI-generated code.

Your data

On Business and Enterprise plans, GitHub doesn’t use your code to train its models. On personal plans, check the Copilot settings.

GitHub Copilot doesn’t offer UK data storage, so check where it keeps your data before you share anything private or about other people.